May 2023
Le Bonheur NICU Unit Council
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital
Memphis
,
TN
United States
Haley Bell, BSN, RN
Maren "Alex" Crick, BSN, RAN
Mary Stacy BSN, RN, RNC-NIC
Alexandra "Alex" Morin BSN, RN, RNC-NIC
Jennifer Gerstner BSN, RN
Elizabeth Longo, BSN, RN
Destiny Tyehemba, BSN, RN
Shunacy McGee, BSN, RN
Maren "Alex" Crick, BSN, RAN
Mary Stacy BSN, RN, RNC-NIC
Alexandra "Alex" Morin BSN, RN, RNC-NIC
Jennifer Gerstner BSN, RN
Elizabeth Longo, BSN, RN
Destiny Tyehemba, BSN, RN
Shunacy McGee, BSN, RN
When a family finds out they are expecting, they never plan on their baby being in the NICU. As the only Level IV NICU in the region, Le Bonheur NICU has the highest level of care available for these tiny patients. They can handle the most acute and complex medical cases as well as perform surgeries for congenital or acquired conditions. Besides the stress of having an acutely ill infant, families can also feel a sense of loss by not getting to have the typical newborn experience. However, the heart of Le Bonheur isn’t just a logo and is evident in the actions of the associates, particularly the Le Bonheur NICU Unit Council members. The Le Bonheur NICU Council goes above and beyond their expected job duties as nurses. They demonstrate the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) values of service, quality, integrity, teamwork, and innovation while serving as an inspiration to others. For example, this Halloween, the Unit Council organized “The Le Bonheur NICU Goes to the Library”. They spent three months coordinating the event. They worked on getting donations and utilized the “crafty” nurses in the unit to make costumes for all the patients, keeping in mind each patient’s unique health condition. After obtaining photo consents from each family, they came in on their off days, dressed, and photographed over 50 patients. They emailed digital photos of the babies to their families to share as well as printed off personal copies for them. They also made a slide show of the photographs, which Le Bonheur put on their social media accounts. Each NICU patient was celebrated. The families could share the adorableness of their babies’ first (or second) Halloween, and they were proud their babies got the love and recognition they deserve. All thanks to the Le Bonheur NICU Unit Council! We truly appreciate your hard work and generous spirit.